Decanted at 3pm to accompany this tasting but being consumed at a different location.

Firstly, an unusual feature. The foil capsule looked normal but when it was removed it revealed a dry broken surface on the top of the cork that was 2mm to 5mm below the top of the bottle.

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When removed the cork proved to be only half a cork. The side walls were dry and of normal appearance and the bottom surface appropriately stained for a VP of this age. Perhaps the top half of the cork broke off whilst being hammered into the bottle? Or was it removed at some point in the past and the bottom half re-inserted? Is it a fake?

This made me look at the label more closely. It turns out to be a convincing laser-printed facsimile of an original that has subsequently been wet and faded. Intentionally? Who knows.

Decanting went well. The wine was the colour I expected it to be and almost all of the well-formed crust stayed in the bottle.

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Now for a quality assurance sample.

The nose was muted and rather dull with a small amount of bottle stink. Very thick and viscous in the mouth with sweet black cherry and a lovely dark chocolate bite. There is a strange dry medicinal note on the end of the mid-palate but then a fabulous long and deliciously sweet finish. The strangeness might be the remnants of some unresolved tannins or spirit but are not enough to spoil the enjoyment of the wine.

Quite splendid, but what is it and is it really what I thought it was?

D+3 Hours
The nose has opened up and is now of red cherry and vanilla. Very similar mouth-feel and flavours as before, perhaps a bit sweeter and the medicinal flavour is now more pronounced and distracting. There is now strawberry in the finish, which remains long and delicious. The overall profile of this wine is as expected, but some of the flavours are not typical.